Page 38 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part
“He basically decreed that everyone in every clan refer to you as the queen. We don’t call Rene king, so you technically have more power than he does.”
“Wh... what?” I stammered. My eyes moved to Rene. “That isn’t true, right?”
Con shrugged. “It is.”
My jaw dropped, and I placed both hands on my hips. “Why would you do something so stupid? Everyone practically hates me already.”
Cass sighed. “Because Rene would turn into something that even Constantine couldn’t stop if you died. With Rene’s evolution at hand, you are the only thing that can keep him sane through it. You are the most important vampire alive.”
I blew out a breath. “No pressure.”
Rene walked over and kissed my cheek. “Do not concern yourself with...”
The entire mansion shook, and the chandelier danced in the room. Constantine and Cass grabbed their weapons, but the vibrations stopped right before the shouting. Cass grabbed her phone before hissing.
“There was an explosion in the training facility. Val and Quinn want us down there now,” Cass said.
Con opened the door. “Cass, you flank. We take no chances with Raven’s life.”
I expected Cass to balk at the order, but she nodded her ascension without a flicker of irritation.
Con disappeared into the hallway before Rene guided me through the exit. There was nobody on the upper floor and Cass followed after us with her staff in her hand, though it wasn’t extended.
We made our way down the stairs and to the hall to the training facility, but I inhaled the smell of burnt wood before we entered the massive room.
As I stepped through the large door of the training facility, my heart squeezed at the horrifying sight. The place the death dealers had used as a sanctuary for honing their skills was now engulfed in orange flames that consumed the walls and sent black smoke billowing into the air. It replaced the familiar scent of wood and metal with the malevolent stench of destruction.
The exterior wall bore a gaping hole that looked as though it had been hit with a missile, shattering the concrete and metal like fragile glass. I froze as my eyes took in the surreal scene. The majority of the training center had been ripped apart, leaving behind only chaos and devastation. Cass made a strangled noise as her eyes moved over the loss of her personal sanctuary.
The training apparatus that had once stood proudly beneath the massive, vaulted ceiling now lay buried beneath mounds of debris and rubble. The place where Cass had spent countless hours training her death dealers, perfecting their techniques, and forging unbreakable bonds with her team was now reduced to a heap of smoking ruins.
It scattered broken and partially-burned weapons across the charred floor, their usually gleaming edges now dulled by the fire’s touch. These tools had once been wielded with precision and finesse and seeing them in such disarray was like a punch to the gut. Cass looked like she was ready to skewer whoever was responsible and she had Constantine to back her up. His face was a mask of fury.
Val approached her with his hand on his weapon. He was forced to sidestep a pile of rubble. “Nobody was hurt, but the integrity of the exterior wall is compromised. We will need a human crew if we want debris removal and construction to continue during the day.”
Rene’s jaw ticked. “I do not want anyone on site that we can’t trust. Who is responsible for this?”
Val’s lips pursed. “Brigid blasted the wall, but Dimitri met with her and left with over fifty clan members. They have fled the mansion.”
Rene’s eyes flickered red. “What?”
Val glanced at Constantine, whose eyes blazed with red fire. “Several clan members witnessed Dimitri talking to Brigid after she magically bombed us. Then they all left.”
“He joined the dark faction?” I whispered.
Constantine glanced at the smoking hole in the wall. “The witch played us.”
Cass and Rene glanced down and while they seemed to know what Constantine was talking about, I didn’t. “What does that mean?”
Con clipped his staff back on his belt. “Davon was a traitor, but he had no political pull, nobody who would follow him.”
My eyes widened. “She used Davon to get to Dimitri.”
Cass nodded. “Every kill was meant to seed frustration and discord. She chose vampires that would upset the clan and ensure they wanted new leadership. Dimitri already had a massive following and many of the clan believed Rene was on the brink of madness. He wasn’t a traitor... until we killed his brother.”
Constantine shook his head. “She manipulated Dimitri as easily as her own coven.”
Rene’s face hardened. “I want a list of every vampire who left with Dimitri. Once they take action against us, they will be considered traitors, and every warrior and death dealer will hunt them until they are dust upon the earth.”